Spacecraft heating requirements can cause geosynchronous spacecraft battery depletion during the upper stage launch phase and transfer orbit when the spacecraft solar components are in a collapsed configuration. If the batteries become too depleted to power other critical systems, the spacecraft may be lost.
In order to prevent this outcome, many spacecraft employ thermal shields or produce some solar electrical energy to power onboard heaters while the solar array is in the collapsed configuration. For those spacecraft using thermal shields, such configurations reduce radiative heat loss by attaching thermal shields to the spacecraft solar array or radiator panels. Solar energy generation in the collapsed configuration is performed by facing a stowed solar array panel in the outboard direction, thereby allowing the panel to collect solar energy.
Notably, the thermal shields are costly and add to the weight of the spacecraft without collecting solar energy for heating of the spacecraft. In addition, solar energy generation in the collapsed configuration is only possible for spacecraft using rigid solar panel arrays. Therefore, not all spacecraft can efficiently employ thermal shields, and not all solar panel arrays can be configured to generate solar energy while in the collapsed configuration.